The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a 370 acres (1.5 km²) property that is the site of the annual San Diego County Fair

San Diego County Fair

The San Diego County Fair is a county fair held every summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California...

 (called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001). Its Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a partnership...

 was built by the Thoroughbred Club in 1937 by founding members Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....

 and Pat O'Brien

Pat O'Brien (actor)

Pat O’Brien was an American film actor with more than one hundred screen credits.-Early life:O’Brien was born William Joseph Patrick O’Brien to an Irish-American Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as an altar boy at Gesu Church while growing up near 13th and Clybourn streets...

 with Paramount Studios as corporate sponsor.

The fairgrounds is owned by the State of California and is managed by 22nd District Agricultural Association, a state agency that hosts more than 300 annual events. In 2009 California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....

 placed the fairgrounds on a list of properties that the state might sell. In October 2010 the city of Del Mar

Del Mar, California

Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...

 reached preliminary agreement with the state to purchase it for $120 million, and in February 2011 the city said it would govern the fairgrounds under a Public Benefit Trust Indenture if the sale goes through.

Racetrack

The length of the race track is exactly one mile (1.6 km), and races are run counter-clockwise. A 100-mile AAA championship (Indianapolis-type car) race was held at Del Mar in November 1949, but the death of popular local driver Rex Mays in that event caused "big car" racing to disappear from Southern California circuits for another 18 years. (In addition, the horse racing community was deeply resentful of oil-dripping cars being run on the horse-oriented dirt racing surface.)

There was a temporary auto racing circuit held in its parking lot during the mid-1960s and between 1987 and 1992. The latter hosted an IMSA Camel GT

IMSA GT Championship

IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...

 race. Both circuits were 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long with layouts that were different from each other.

Arena

Chevrolet Del Mar Arena is a 3,500-seat arena

Arena

An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 in the fairgrounds complex, used for sporting events, concerts and other special events. It was built in 1991. In 2009 it was remodeled and a roof was added. It currently hosts the San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team.

Exhibit facilities

Del Mar Fairgrounds features six exhibit halls totalling 219380 square feet (20,381 m²) of space. The largest is Pat O'Brien Hall with 68680 square feet (6,381 m²) of space and seating up to 6,800; its ceiling height is 35 feet (11 m). Others include the 55200 square feet (5,128.2 m²) Exhibit Hall seating up to 5,500; Bing Crosby Hall with 31900 square feet (2,963.6 m²) of space and capacity of up to 3,500; The 45 feet (14 m) Wyland Center with 30800 square feet (2,861.4 m²) of space and capacity of up to 3,000; the 19800 square feet (1,839.5 m²) Activity Center holding up to 2,200; and Mission Tower with 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) of space and capacity of up to 1,200.

External links

• Del Mar Fairgrounds
• Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
• Genesis and History of the Racetrack
• Pictures and Stories at the Del Mar Racetrack
• http://www.calendarshows.com/Del Mar Antique Show
  Del Mar Antique Show
  Now in its 51st year, the Del Mar Antique Show & Sale is the longest running family-owned indoor antique show in California and the largest south of San Francisco, with over of exhibition space.-History:...
  
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